Aerobic and anaerobic energy turnover is about ensuring that the body has the best conditions for converting ADP to ATP. This is then split again into ADP, whereby energy is created in the body's muscles. Read along here and get an explanation of what it's all about. As well as how to train yourself for a better aerobic and anaerobic energy turnover.

When you exercise or play sports, the lungs and blood circulation ensure that you supply energy to your muscles. The energy is supplied in the form of oxygen and nutrients. These are then converted into energy in the body's muscles.

If that energy is not enough for your activity level, the muscles can also briefly draw on energy from the nutrients that are stored in the muscles themselves. For example by converting carbohydrates into lactic acid.

However, there is a fundamental difference in the energy that is generated in the muscles. The difference is about whether oxygen is used in connection with the energy turnover or not.

Aerobic energy metabolism

Here, the combustion of nutrients with the help of oxygen provides the majority of our normal energy consumption. That is, when we walk around, jog or do activities where an even and relatively stable energy requirement is needed.

It is called aerobic energy metabolism because oxygen is used in the process.

Aerobic energy metabolism works when you breathe. The oxygen from here is excreted in the lungs. It is then transported around to the cells of the muscles – and the various organs of the body – using the bloodstream.

Here, the oxygen is used to burn the nutrients so that the muscles can get energy. This creates carbon dioxide, which is transported back to the lungs and exhaled through the lungs. You then draw in new, fresh oxygen, and the process repeats itself.

The aerobic energy turnover therefore depends on you having trained to breathe efficiently and having strong lungs that can extract as much oxygen as possible from the atmospheric air and excrete as much carbon dioxide as possible when exhaling. And that you have a strong heart that can pump oxygen around the body.

Anaerobic energy metabolism

Aerobic energy turnover is thus fine enough for an even energy level. But if you have to perform extra, the muscles can also obtain energy by breaking down energy-rich phosphates in the muscles and carbohydrates without using oxygen. It is called anaerobic energy metabolism.

However, this can only be done for a shorter period of time. For example in connection with tempo changes. Or if high-intensity movements are needed, for example when you start the sprint in a 400, 800 or 1500 meter race. For the rest of the race, you will get enough energy from the aerobic energy turnover as soon as you get out of the starting block.

The anaerobic energy turnover depends on you having access to enough carbohydrates when you need an extra energy release.

Fundamental to our survival

The two energy systems have been fundamental to the survival of our species. Because where in everyday life we ​​could get by with aerobic energy conversion, we always had the anaerobic energy turnover in the back of our hands if there was a threat from which we had to flee.

For example a predator that would attack us. Or some other threatening situation.

The chemical explanation of muscle energy

If you want to be really serious about your training, you should train your aerobic energy metabolism and at the same time make sure that you have plenty of carbohydrates for the anaerobic energy metabolism.

But to understand why the two forms of energy turnover are so important for your performance, we need to get very close to the chemistry behind the formation of energy in your muscles.

It takes place purely chemically by the fact that adenosine tri-phosphate - also abbreviated ATP - is split into adenosine di-phosphate - abbreviated ADP.

ATP is composed of the protein adenosine and the three phosphate groups that give it its name. Between the last two phosphate groups there are some energetic bonds. If these are split so that ATP is converted into ADP, a large amount of energy is released directly to the muscles. This energy is used by the muscles to either contract or lengthen.

From ADP and back to ATP

Unfortunately, only a modest amount of ATP can be stored in the body, as it is a relatively heavy and unstable molecule. Therefore, you need ADP to be continuously converted into ATP, so that you can continue to have enough energy in your body for what you are doing.

This happens when the ADP molecule is supplied with energy by means of the energy-producing processes in the body. Thereby, the adenosine protein can retain the last phosphate group again and become ATP. Then the energy production in the muscles can start all over again.

These energy-producing activities take place by breaking down fat and carbohydrates in some small cell structures in the muscles, called mitochondria. These are the energy processes that convert ADP into ATP. They take place with the help of oxygen (aerobic), which is supplied to the muscles via a hair-thin network of blood vessels, called the capillaries.

They wind in and out between the muscle fibers so that the oxygen can easily be released to the muscles and the carbon dioxide can easily be transported away from the muscles.

Aerobic exercise has some key purposes:

• Improvement (or maintenance) of the circulation's ability to transport oxygen, so that a greater part of the total energy release during intense work can be done by aerobic processes.
• Improvement (or maintenance) of the muscles' ability to utilize the supplied oxygen and to burn fat and thus to work for longer.
• Improvement (or maintenance) of the body's ability to recover after hard work and thus to get ready more quickly for a new intensive work period.

The training can be divided into three intensities

• Low intensity training (recovery)
  - Here you work in the range of 50-80% of your maximum heart rate
• Moderate intensity training (endurance training – e.g. running at a specific pace for a longer time)
  - Here you work in the area of ​​70-90% of your maximum heart rate
• High intensity training (interval training – e.g. 4x2km intervals)
  - here you work in the area of ​​80-100% of your maximum heart rate

Anaerobic training has some key purposes:

• Improving (or maintaining) the body's ability to respond quickly and to quickly produce force at maximal work.
• Improvement (or maintenance) of the muscles' ability to quickly and continuously obtain energy during hard work.
• Improving (or maintaining) the body's ability to recover after hard work.

Anaerobic training can be divided into two main training areas, but overlap in terms of work intensity:

1. Speed ​​and endurance training

1. Tolerance training
2. Production training

1. Speed ​​training

In short, anaerobic training is where the intensity is very high, and you often work in very short time frames.

Speed ​​training

• Work is typically 2-10s, and the break is very long, as work intensity is 100%.

Speed ​​and endurance training is usually divided into two main categories:

Tolerance training (training of the anaerobic capacity)

• Work intensity is 30-100% of maximum, and the harder the intensity, the longer the break.
• For example 10 x 400 meters with a 5-minute break at an intensity corresponding to approximately 80% of maximum intensity - or it can be 10 x 1-minute speed runs in the forest, where you run and make sure to jog slowly during the break so that there is a big change in pace .

Production training (training of the anaerobic effect)

• Work intensity is 60-100% of maximum intensity, and with a longer break than with tolerance training.
• For example 6 x 200m at 90% of maximum intensity with a 6-8min break.

In other words, you can boil it down to the following:
Aerobic = training of the circulation.
Anaerobic = exercise tolerance training (lactic acid)